The winter sun sat high over the Blackwood Citadel, casting long, sharp shadows across the grand courtyard. Inside the High Hall, the air was dense with an uneasy, suffocating quiet.
Every seat along the elevated stone tiers was filled. Elders of the High Council, high-ranking lords of the twelve noble houses, and senior military officers sat in tense rows. Elder Gerald sat near the head of the council table, his iron cane resting between his knees, his pale obsidian eyes staring fixedly at the vacant dais. Beside him, Lord Aaron sat with his hands folded neatly in his lap, maintaining an expression of quiet, aristocratic detachment despite his recent "resignation."
The heavy oak doors at the far end of the hall swung open with a booming crash that made several younger lords jump in thei
